Googled ways to clean blood, stayed active on victim’s social media: How Aaftab concealed murder

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, Nov 15, 2022: Aaftab Ameen Poonawala, who allegedly killed Shraddha Walkar, his live-in partner, stayed active on her social media account to conceal the grisly murder. Using Shraddha’s social media was one of the ways employed by Aaftab to cover up the crime.

 

The 28-year-old man strangled Shraddha to death, chopped her body into 35 pieces and kept them in a 300-litre refrigerator before scattering those one by one across Delhi’s Mehrauli forest.

To counter the stench in the apartment, Aaftab would light agarbatti or incense sticks. He was inspired by the American crime show ’Dexter’, police said on Monday.

He had also googled methods of blood cleaning and read about human anatomy after murdering Shraddha, news agency ANI reported.

Here are the latest developments in the sensational Delhi murder case.

According to the Delhi Police, after killing Shraddha Walkar on May 18, Aaftab continued to live in the same flat and ordered food through online apps. He used to impersonate Shraddha Walkar on the app and chat with her friends until June 9, PTI reported.

Aaftab and Shraddha Walkar met each other on an online dating app. Later, they started working for the same call centre in Mumbai and fell in love. But their families objected to the relationship as they belonged to different faiths, prompting the couple to move out of the financial capital.

They went to Himachal Pradesh in the months of April and May and later arrived in Delhi. On May 15, they moved to the house in Chhattarpur Pahadi. Shraddha was murdered three days later following an argument that broke out between them over marriage. Shraddha’s father has alleged in the FIR that Aaftab had been abusive towards his daughter and would assault her often.

On May 20, Aaftab strangled Shraddha, chopped her body into 35 pieces and dumped them in the fridge. He had undergone a two-week training on how to cut meat, which he used to chop Walkar’s body. Over the next few days, he disposed off the body parts one by one across Mehrauli forest.

Even though Aaftab has confessed to the crimes, it would be difficult for the Delhi Police to collect the evidence in the case as only few bones have been recovered in the search so far. Only a DNA test can ascertain whether the bones recovered are of Shraddha or not. The knife used by Aaftab has not been found yet.

Police have said that Aaftab, after searching on Google, cleaned blood stains from the floor with some chemicals and disposed stained clothes.

In September, Shraddha’s friend informed her brother that her mobile phone had been switched off for over two months. Her family also checked her social media accounts and found no updates. In November, the victim’s father, Vikash Madan Walker, approached Mumbai Police and lodged a missing person’s complaint. The case was later transferred to Delhi Police.

On the basis of the complaint, police arrested Aaftab on Saturday. During investigation, he revealed that the two fought frequently as Shraddha wanted to marry him. He also confessed to the police how he killed her and disposed off the body.

Police are trying to get in touch with four of Aftab’s friends who met him before he had a relationship with Shraddha. They are also scanning his social media account. His past relationships to be analysed, sources told news agency ANI.

A murder case has been filed and Aaftab is currently under five-day police custody.

Courtesy: India Today